Aged care jobs in South Australia

Sanctuary Recruitment is a recruitment consultancy with a focus on sourcing professionals for aged care jobs in South Australia
and across the country. We have a wide network of relationships across the state and country and have many years of experience
in placing aged-care workers for roles on a permanent, temporary, and contract basis in homes of
metro/CBD, regional, rural & remote locations.

Register with Sanctuary

register with sanctuary

Express your interest

Send in your resume or register your interest and our industry expert consultants will be in contact.

register with sanctuary

Prepare for work

Complete the onboarding process and become fully compliant. Our compliance team can help you through this step by step.

register with sanctuary

Begin working with Sanctuary

Choose from 100's of roles that suit your needs, values and requirements.

Rewards and benefits

market leading pay rates

Market leading pay rates

bonuses and incentives

Bonuses and incentives

industry expert consultants

Industry expert consultants

discount programs

Discount programs

Free online education modules

Free online education modules

Referral scheme

Referral scheme

Aged care jobs in South Australia FAQs

Aged care workers provide direct care to residents on a physical, personal and emotional level. An entry level role in this industry is an Assistant in nursing/Personal care worker, and from there, there are many pathways you can take that to elevate your career profile

We have longstanding relationships with over 400 aged care homes across Australia, in metro, regional, rural and remote areas of the country.

In South Australia, we have assignments available in Adelaide and Mount Gambier, as well as homes in every other state.

Every aged care worker is paid according to the Aged Care Award. There are a lot of variances when it comes to pay rates, as aged care casual rates depend on your position, experience level and shift times that you work. Our casual pay rates range from in South Australia:

  • AIN: $38 - $75 per hour
  • EN: $40 - $81 per hour
  • RN: $50 -  $120 per hour

There are incentives, allowances and bonuses available for certain contract placements. Reforms in aged care have led to pay rises for aged care workers in recent years, with more developments to come.

We have a scheme where we offer nurses who have less than 6 months experience a trial period within a residential aged care home. If you have less than 6 months experience or have an aged care certificate, please get in contact to see what your options are available to you.

To work as an AIN/PCA with us you need to hold a Cert III/IV in Ageing Support/Individual Support/Health Services Assistance. To work as an EN you will need a Diploma of Nursing and an AHPRA number, and to work as an RN you need a Bachelor of Nursing degree and an AHPRA number. Australia aged care experience is advantageous

We are recruiting aged care positions on a clinical and non clinical basis, for casual, contract and permanent roles. Casual work, or shift filling, is done on an ad-hoc or block booking basis. Contract placements range from 4 weeks - 3 months in rural, regional and remote areas of the country and permanent positions are salary based, with you being employed directly by an external aged care provider.

For our nursing team, we offer continuous online training via our Learning Management System (LMS) at no cost to you. This is regularly updated to reflect new legislation and practices.

Through working on a casual basis, you can:

  • Structure your work day/week to your schedule
  • Explore areas of the country whilst getting paid for it, with free travel and accommodation included.
  • Set your own work/life balance
  • Receive a higher hourly rate than if you were a permanent employee
Aged care blog
Why Sanctuary is one of Australia’s best nursing agencies

Over the past decade, Sanctuary has built longstanding relationships with aged care professionals and service providers, establishing ourselves as one of the best nursing agencies in Australia. With a focus on aged care nursing and leadership roles, we connect experienced candidates with reputable not-for-profit and private aged care organisations across the country. At Sanctuary, people…

How to become a registered nurse in Australia from overseas

Revised: May 2025 Nursing in Australia is a rewarding career path to choose. There is a wealth of opportunities available in the dynamic and diverse healthcare settings. Within this comprehensive guide, we’ve outlined how to become a registered nurse in Australia from overseas. We’ll walk you through the steps to take and provide you with…

The true cost of non-compliance in aged care staffing

When we talk about compliance in aged care staffing, the conversation often focuses on regulations, accreditations, audits and minimum ratios. But non-compliance is far more than a box-ticking failure. Its true cost is human, financial, reputational and moral. Understaffing due to lack of compliance isn’t just a workforce issue. It affects quality care and delivery,…

The 5 most common workforce compliance gaps in aged care

Published: December 2025 In the aged care sector, workforce compliance is more than a box-ticking exercise; it’s directly tied to resident safety, quality of care and your organisation’s ability to meet regulatory standards. As the sector continues to face workforce shortages, increased demand and ongoing legislative change, maintaining a compliant workforce has become both more critical and more challenging.  Below are the five most common workforce…

What skills do you need to work in aged care?

Revised: June 2025 Are you interested in working in aged care? Developing aged care skills is key to becoming a great worker and succeeding in the industry.  Through gaining aged care skills that allow you to interact with residents from a diverse range of backgrounds, deliver quality care and maintain a safe environment, you’ll improve…

Delivering impact: how our partnership with Alphacrucis University College is changing the lives of Pacific Islander aged care workers

First published: October 2024 Sanctuary Recruitment and Pulse Staffing Australia, under the global healthcare partner Acacium Group, have secured a bid for this year’s Pacific Australian Labour Mobility (PALM) Scheme. Aiming to fill labour gaps and alleviate work shortages across the country in a multitude of sectors, the PALM scheme allows for workers from the…

The resilience of the aged care industry

First published: October 2023 How to overcome aged care hidden hurdles “The staff were the most vital asset in this situation, the power of the team really shone through during this time” Being part of the world of aged care usually means your general workday is fast-paced and constantly changing, but we often know what…

Aged care reform roadmap explained

First published: May 2024 The Department of Health and Aged Care have set a three-year roadmap to introduce aged care reforms to improve services delivered to the elderly population. These changes are being implemented with the aim to ensure all resources are of high quality, easily accessible and beneficial to the older people of Australia,…

Ideas for engaging aged care activities

First published: September 2024 An important part of an aged care resident’s health and wellbeing includes lifestyle and leisure activities that call to their needs, interests and desires. The 13th recommendation in the Royal Commission into Quality and Safety report was ‘Embedding high quality aged care’, which includes supporting the resident to engage in recreational…

Establishing and maintaining work role boundaries in aged care

First published: November 2024 Working in the aged care industry gives you opportunity to develop close relationships with the residents in your care. The superheroes that are healthcare professionals understand their patients and residents on a deeper level, especially in aged care as nurses can be interacting with the same residents for years. Work role…